Frightfest 2014 Preview: White Settlers Simon Fitzjohn July 31, 2014 Film4 Frightfest 2015 Billed as a ‘back-to-basics suspense thriller’, White Settlers is one of a handful of British flicks hitting Frightfest this year looking to make a splash. A variation on the current wave of home invasion horrors, the film follows London couple Ed and Sarah (Lee Williams and Pollyanna McIntosh), who decide to up sticks, quit the rat race and relocate to an isolated Scottish farmhouse. At first all seems great, but before you can say ‘you’re not from round here, are you’ the couple realise they may not be alone in their own home, and their visitors may not have the best intentions….. On the plus side, director Simeon Halligan showed flashes of inspiration with his debut horror Splintered a few years back, while star McIntosh already has genre cred in spades after her mesmeric turn as The Woman in the 2011 film of the same name. But on the downside, the film does look pretty derivative, with the decision to deck out the invaders in the same masks as those worn in You’re Next somewhat mystifying. That being said, this seems a pleasantly different take on the Scottish independence debate, so we’ll look forward to this screening at the festival on August 23.
